John C. Morgan, 76, the World War II pilot whose heroics...

Deaths elsewhere

January 22, 1991

John C. Morgan, 76, the World War II pilot whose heroics on a 1943 bombing mission over Germany earned him a Medal of Honor and helped inspire "Twelve O'Clock High," died Thursday in Papillion, Neb., after a heart attack. Mr. Morgan, an Army Air Forces second lieutenant, was a co-pilot on a B-17 when the plane was hit by fire from enemy fighters en route to a bombing run. Despite serious injuries to the pilot and other crew, he took over and completed the mission.

John C. Morgan, 76, the World War II pilot whose heroics on a 1943 bombing mission over Germany earned him a Medal of Honor and helped inspire "Twelve O'Clock High" died Thursday in Papillion, Neb., after a heart attack. Mr. Morgan's actions in the raid that won him the Medal of Honor, and the actions of others in the raid, were the inspiration for his friend, author Sy Bartlett to write "Twelve O'Clock High." Mr. Morgan, an Army Air Forces second lieutenant, was a co-pilot on a B-17 when the plane was hit by fire from enemy fighters en route to a bombing run. Despite serious injuries to the pilot and other crew, he took over and completed the mission before returning safely to base.

Jean Mantelet, 90, the French industrialist who vowed to free women from cooking chores and built an industrial giant on a potato masher, died Saturday at his home in Paris. Mr. Mantelet, known in France as "Monsieur Moulinex," died at his Paris home Saturday. Mr. Mantelet became famous overnight in France 58 years ago when he invented a machine to help his wife mash potatoes easily. The masher was an instant hit with housewives, and Mr. Mantelet went on to found Moulinex, one of the world's most successful household appliance companies. It coined the slogan "Moulinex frees women" and launched a range of electrical appliances to grind, chop, mince and slice, and later produced hair-dryers and vacuum cleaners.

Juliet Man Ray, 79, the widow and major subject of portraits by the avant-garde painter and photographer Man Ray, died of a heart attack Thursday at the Huntington Hospital on Long Island. She lived in Paris. Mrs. Man Ray, a dancer and model, and the artist were married in 1946 and lived in a Paris studio near the Luxembourg Gardens from 1951 until he died in 1976 at the age of 86.

Mario Siletti, 65, an acting teacher who helped found the National Shakespeare Conservatory, died of pneumonia on Jan.

7 at New York University Medical Center. For 25 years, Mr. Siletti taught acting at the Stella Adler Studio, New York University and the National Shakespeare Conservatory, which he, Albert Schoemann Schoemann and Philip Meister founded in 1974.

Andre Kaminski, 67, a Swiss writer whose novel, "Next Year in Jerusalem," brought him world acclaim late in life, died on Jan. 12, his family said yesterday in Zurich, Switzerland. Mr. Kaminski was born in Geneva of Polish Jewish descent. His best-selling novel was published in 1986 and traced his family roots in an anecdotal style.

Lord Wells-Pestell, 80, deputy speaker of the House of Lords and former minister of health and social security, died Thursday after a long illness, a few hours after the death of his wife. The Labor Party member was a sociologist and had worked on behalf of delinquents.